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Cantonese Basic Phrases

Description

Military-related basic phrases for foreign language learners of Cantonese (粵語 / 廣東話), with audio, Romanization, and Chinese script. Use this app to select an English phrase and view its translation and how to pronounce it in Cantonese.
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Description

Military-related basic phrases for foreign language learners of Cantonese (粵語 / 廣東話), with audio, Romanization, and Chinese script. Use this app to select an English phrase and view its translation and how to pronounce it in Cantonese.

This app uses Yale Romanization with diacritics to indicate the six tones as in sī (詩) sí (史) si (試) sı̏ (時) sı̋ (市) sị (事). Note that in colloquial Hong Kong Cantonese pronunciation, the consonants 'n' and 'l' are often mixed, as well as the consonant 'ng' with the null initial. Regardless of the pronunciations you may encounter, the Romanization reflects the original initial consonant. Also note that the initials 'j' and 'ch' are widely pronounced as 'dz' and 'ts' in many localities across the Cantonese-speaking region, including Hong Kong. Texts are given in Traditional Chinese script.

This app was originally developed as an entry to the 2010 CIO/G6 "Apps for the Army" competition, and it is based on the modules publicly available online from the U.S. Defense Language Institute. Content edited and arranged by Percy Wong; app development by Robert Theis.